A Creative Life - Design, Illustration & Photography

I grew up in an era without distractions.  The Internet, Netflix and wrist watches that immerse you in a virtual map of the Universe were still a handful of decades away.  Everyone I knew had a childhood that existed mostly outside the home until dinner time.  For me however, I preferred being in my room, unaware of time, building, drawing and creating.  I loved looking through books about architecture, film and photography.  There was a satisfying feeling knowing that each page represented a complete and perfect thought for that artist.  My brain loved detail and I was motivated by how intricate and realistic I could build or draw something.  This way of thinking led to my interest in the architecture of cities like Chicago and New York.

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In my early twenties I took up photography when my family moved to the Turks & Caicos Islands.  I bought a camera (the one I could afford) and began documenting daily life, travelling across the mostly unpaved island taking colour and black and white photographs.  Because film and developing were so expensive (especially on a remote island), it forced me to become an excellent visual editor on the spot.  I began to realize that photography is a slow seduction that becomes an obsession and changes the way you see and understand the world around you.  Thirty years later, I can't imagine my life without a camera.

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With interests in both illustration and photography, I entered Art College in the Graphic Design program just as the worlds of Advertising and Design were being digitally transformed.  It was noticeable to anyone sitting in front of a MAC computer back in the early 1990's the changes were significant.  What wasn't as obvious was the impact technology would have on photography and image manipulation.  The modern day darkroom is now a phone app, immeasurably powerful, available to anyone and inconceivable 25 years ago.

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Recently I began to think about how I could use the skills I had acquired over my career to create something unique and worthwhile.  That's what these illustrations represent – a lifetime of change and creativity.  Using my own photography and both digital and traditional illustration methods, I blended dozens of colour and texture layers together to create the images you see here.  I hope you like them.  I have also included examples of my work in design, illustration and photography below.